How big/heavy is your dinghy?

[James V]

I am wanting to get a dinghy and was wanting to know what is the largerst size that you stored. Is 140 pounds to heavy for the bow?

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

My inflatable dinghies are under 50 lbs WITH the motor My 1.5HP weedwacker motor only weighs 12.5 lbs. I really like lightweight stuff. Its just a cheapo Sevylar Super Caravelle with a motor mount. I figured I could replace them every few years for less than the cost of a "real" inflatable. But it turns out that the first one I bought almost 10 years ago still hasn't even had its first leak, so I bought an even bigger one a couple years ago. They are fun for putzing around with the kids, the biggest disadvantage is the lack of a hard floor, otherwise they do fine and they are very comfortable for lounging around on.

[Frank C]

Is 140 pounds to heavy for the bow?

Same as Dimitri, I have a cheapo (Caravelle style) stowed in the way-back. Recently, I have also purchased two used inflatable kayaks, but now I'm really wondering if I'll ever use them aboard my 26X. The bigger one Sevylor's Diveyak, but it's pretty darned big and bulky when deflated, (only 40 lbs.) and it will clearly offer a wet ride ... (and one of the main pontoons has an air leak!).

Diveyak 2020


In retrospect, the little air-floor inflatable dinks from eBay sure look like a good compromise tender ... 8-footer for a couple, maybe the 10-footer for a family. Next, I guess I'd consider the Porta-Bote 8, or the short Walker Bay. In case of the WB you're probably destined for stowage on the bow - not easy, even at only 70 lbs. instead of 140!

As mentioned earlier by someone here, the Mac already has a shoal draft to get you close-in. Maybe the minimalist approach is best for hefting about, for making ready, and for stowage. I can't imagine hefting a 140 lb. monster without davits aft ...
and that would require a 36' keelboat, sacrificing both shoal draft AND our 15 kn scoot-speed.

IMO, 140 lbs. seems way too much weight for a Mac-dink, and way too large to stow on the bow even if you could rig the means to get it up there.

[nemo]

I use a Sevylor Colorado 2-person inflatable canoe. 32 lbs (dry). I keep it tucked into the bow. I don't carry a motor.

http://www.sevylor.com/canoes2.html

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

i chose this Sevylor. it's made by Zodiac with Zodiac material. weighs 40#. an excellent value at $379.
i place it on the fore deck while motoring.
i run a 2.5 Suzuki 4-stroke (29#) on the rear end. the dinghy won't handle the horses though, too much power...


http://www.sevyloroutlet.com/SS/HTML/SE ... 250WT.html



P.S. i don't know those people

Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI & '06 2.5-Suzuki

[James V]

So far this is what I thought. I have an inflatable canoe that weighs 35 pounds and is a hard to get on board. I am wanting to go full time cruising and that means a hard bottom dingy that will last in the sun. That means over 60 pounds without motor. I was thinking that a good block and tackle on the jib halyard would work to raise it up on the bow deck. There is a new dingy on the market called a Portland Pudgy.

*
It is 7 foot 8 inches, made of rotation-molded polyethylene and weighs 130 pounds. I think that it will fit on the bow when needed on the longer passages. It should last a long time. http://www.portlandpudgy.com/index.html

Any thoughts?

[aya16]

Those boats from afordable boats on ebay are awsome and half to a third the price of a westmarine boat. they are made by baltic and there are a coulple diff brands out there but the boats are all the same. I have one and they have more features and are bigger (wide) then the westmarine ones. They pump up rock hard. The air floor is the only way to go as the wood floor is very hard to get in even on flat ground.

and I have found only one pump that will handle the pumping job and its
very expensive.

Bobby T That sevylor you have, I have been looking at them
can you give some info to me about them.
What do you meen it doesnt handle the hp? It has a removable transome right? you only have a 2.5 hp but its rated for a 4.
does the boat blow up hard?

frank how about your diveyak? I was looking at those to. frank you dont think it will work well? What about the clear floor can you see well through it? did you get the motor mount for it? is it that bulky? to much to store on board all the time? I was thinking of the diveyak for an exrta dink but the price stopped me.

dont get me wrong the baltic boat I have is great 9.5 and will haul many people around will plane out with my 15 two stroke. But now I have a 4hp
two stroke also for it. Its just bulky and heavy. I was wanting a second dink that could be thrown up on deck with ease. I do have a achillis 8 footer with a wood floor that is light enough without the floor. I tried Scotts air floof in it and it almost fits, and I can get an air floor for 150.00
bucks.

but putting a 150 into it I can get a new sevylor like bobby t for almost the same price.

soo dinks are like golf clubs and fishing poles. you need (want) a diff one for diff. times. at least for me.

baltic 9.5
achillis 8.5
boston whaler 13 50hp
is what I have now karen wants a glass bottom type dink thats why I was looking at the diveyak. I want to get a blow up that can be tossed
on board easy but is tuff like the one bobby has?

I may end up buying another dink from afordable in the 7 foot range.
I just got a friend one and we havent tried it yet so Ill see then and report.



Ill post the link to the best (i have found) inflator. Fast and it will blow up those 11psi floors. I looked and bought a couple others this one hands down is the best.

[aya16]

the inflator I wanted to pass on has some very bad reviews, so untill I use it more and see for myself Ill hold off on putting up a link. To bad because it works great the three times I used it. Its a bst inflator from west marine.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

Bobby T
That sevylor you have, I have been looking at them
can you give some info to me about them.
What do you meen it doesnt handle the hp? It has a removable transome right? you only have a 2.5 hp but its rated for a 4.
does the boat blow up hard?

it gets plenty hard (the sailor said to the lovely maiden). really, it does!
but the transom begins to fold under a bit when i max out the power, and i get wet.
i don't see it handling a 4hp. too heavy and too much power.

the transom is removable and the floor inflates.

Sevylor makes a longer one just like this that'll probably do better with the 4hp. but it's more expensive.

overall i'm happy with the quality of the product, the size, and the weight.

[Frank C]

So far this is what I thought. I have an inflatable canoe that weighs 35 pounds
and is a hard to get on board. ... Any thoughts?

James,
That's quite an impressive little boat, easy to see why you're enthused about it. However, if your 35# canoe is "hard to get on board" how could you manage to get a 140# dink on board any easier?
... or maybe you mean the canoe is "hard to board," as in "unstable?"

I guess some of your significant cruising criteria are a stable shell with hard bottom and positive flotation, but I honestly don't see this Pudgy as a realistic choice as a Mac tender. The Portabote and Walker Bay both meet those criteria at half the cost and half the weight. If you're looking for a liferaft, then this one meets that criterion uniquely, but the Mac does too.
Just one opinion ... too much redundancy and too heavy for a Mac tender.

I'd think the Pudgy is too much bulk, in the way, and definitely too much weight (at 160# with all goodies). Have you thoroughly read Maddmike's threads about full-time cruising on the Mac ??? Lots of livability hints in there. Mike uses a short WB as his tender, and he does not stow it on the bow, rather over the outboard at the stern.

[Frank C]

Warning - semi-hijacking of James' poll on dinks (hopefully with valid alternatives?)

REgarding comments above by BobbyT and aya-Mike, I have recently acquired two Sevy kayaks, a K-79 from WM (floor display) and now the Diveyak. I've been watching eBay for a year and the the Diveyaks are extremely rare (about $800 new, including necessary options). It was on my target list:

• - because the split pontoons seemed to offer lots more stability;
  - because it accepts up to 3 hp motor;
  - because it offers 250 lbs of cargo capacity, plus 2 crew (600# total).
  - because it also offers some exercise and fun-quotients?!
  - Downsides include stowage bulk ... 40-lb. cylinder about 30" long, 30" diameter;
  - At 12+' loooooong ... might fit from bow to stbd winch, sailing Genoa (no room for jib sheets);
  - How do ya keep the riff-raff from stealing a fancy dink??

It has plenty of beefy D-rings for rigging a tow-bridle but that makes for a very long rig. This "used" Diveyak popped up last week with a $395 buy-now price and I grabbed it .... so maybe finding an air-leak in one pontoon isn't a giant surprise. The last time I saw a used Diveyak it went above my max bid of $475. There are 5 air chambers, 3 of them as individual floor sections, and seems very capable. The center floor segment is a clear removable hatch, slipped inside a canvas jacket (in case you don't want to see him coming at you). It will prolly be tough to paddle against any wind. Did not come with the motor mount, but clearly it must be a side-saddle style. Overall, I'll probably like to keep it as a "warm waters" option.

I've also been considering the Sevy 8' Runabout, same one Bobby has (I didn't know they're made by Zodiac??). The 8-footers are being closed-out by Sevy right now, available on eBay at $300 delivered. Seems it might be better at getting crew to shore without requiring a wetsuit or swim trunks, though less daytime fun than a kayak. I understand about the 10-footer handling more power. But that one's not only more costly, it also weighs more, and it makes a larger pile of plastic for stowing on the Mac.

I haven't yet fully internalized the Mac-mantra, "... less is more," but I'm trying to keep it in mind.
One of these yaks has gotta go by season's end!

P.S. to Mike: Duane Dunn posted recently about that BST inflator, saying the criticism was invalid. I just bought a cheapo 12v inflator from Wally (20 bucks, by Campbell-Hausfeld) that allows pre-setting the pressure - not sure how it works yet.

[James V]

Frank C - as usual your responses do stir the thoughts.

I did not want to put a boat on the stern. I did think about that but it does have a some bad points. My personal thoughts - In heavy seas I would rather loose a dinghy than put it on the stern.

Heavy yes, however I would almost never put it on the bow execpt on crossing the Gulf Stream or in Storage.

I have stuided the Portabote and Walker Bay. Portabote is a little hard to make into a boat on deck and is hard to repair even in the states and getting into it in deep water is hard. The Walker Bay is a fine boat if you do not want to snorkel. Getting into in deep water is hard. Still, both would require a block and tackel to raise them on board.

The point about getting a 35 pound canoe onboard is that any boat over about 45 pounds will require a Block and Tackle (i do like the canoe). Even so it will be hard to get onboard with much wind. Maby I am taking this a little too seriously. I am 6 foot 4 inches and can lift over 250 pounds. However, back strain is a common problem with cruisers and I do not want to risk any. The boat will be towed almost all the time. With a 4:1 block and tackle I would be lifting less than 50 pounds.

The Pudgy looks to be a strong boat that should give years of full time service with little repair unlike inflatables. I think that this is the best for a long term full time work horse dinghy under 8 feet. The only problem is the weight.

I really do not consider your other post Hijacking as it is related.
Whenevery you get ready to sell you should email Heath and put in the ITEMS for Sale section.

[aya16]

FRANK LET ME KNOW if your bidding so we dont bid against each other...

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

I've also been considering the Sevy 8' Runabout, same one Bobby has (I didn't know they're made by Zodiac??).

it says Zodiac all over the instruction manual and the label affixed to the boat.

BTW...these are truly being "closed-out".
looks like you might be able to pick one up for under $100 with the transom. great value!!

by comparison, the 10' model is at $650 + $100 transom.

[DLT]

looks like you might be able to pick one up for under $100 with the transom.

Where?

Disregard, I found them on ebay. I might just have to pick one up...